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New wind power guidelines are for the birds

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration offered new guidance
Friday on where wind farms should be located to reduce the number
of bird deaths while promoting increased use of wind power.

A bird advocacy group that lobbied for mandatory standards said
the new, voluntary guidelines will do little to protect hundreds of
thousands of birds killed each year by wind turbines.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the guidelines, which take
effect immediately, provide a scientific basis for developers and
government regulators to identify sites with low risk to wildlife
while allowing for more wind energy projects on private and public
lands.

Salazar called wind power a key part of the administration's
"all-of-the-above" energy strategy and noted that the guidelines
for onshore projects have been endorsed by the American Wind Energy
Association and the National Audubon Society, a conservation group.

The dual endorsements "speak volumes about our goals: to do
everything we can to stand up renewable energy" such as wind power
while protecting wildlife and habitat, Salazar said at a news
conference Friday.

The guidelines call on the wind industry to eliminate from
consideration areas that would pose high risks to birds and other
wildlife, and to take steps to alleviate problems by restoring
nearby habitat and other actions. If developers follow the
guidelines, they are unlikely to be prosecuted under federal law in
the event of bird deaths, said Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service.

The American Bird Conservancy, an advocacy group that has pushed
for mandatory standards, said voluntary guidelines are largely
unenforceable and will do little to protect millions of birds
killed or injured by wind turbines.

The group "supports wind power when it is `bird-smart.'
Unfortunately, voluntary guidelines will result in more lawsuits,
more bird deaths and more government subsidies for bad projects,"
said Kelly Fuller, the group's wind campaign coordinator.

Exact statistics for the number of birds killed by wind turbines
are not available, but a 2008 study by a biologist with the Fish
and Wildlife Service estimated that wind farms were killing about
440,000 birds per year in the United States.

The number of wind turbines has grown significantly since then,
with overall output increasing from about 25,000 megawatts of
electricity in 2008 to nearly 47,000 megawatts last year, according
to the wind energy association.

The wind industry's goal of providing 20 percent of the nation's
electricity by 2030 could lead to a million bird deaths a year or
more, according to the American Bird Conservancy.

The Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that up to 1 million
birds die annually in oil field pits and at waste facilities, but
says millions more are killed by cars, cats and collisions with
buildings, power lines and radio towers.

John Anderson, director of siting policy for the wind energy
group, said wind turbines cause a minute fraction of overall bird
deaths - less than 3 out of every 100,000 human-related deaths.

Even so, he said the industry has taken significant steps to
reduce the number of birds killed, mostly by restoring habitat and
locating wind farms in low-risk areas. The new guidelines
established by the Fish and Wildlife Service should improve siting
practices while protecting wildlife, said Denise Bode, chief
executive of the wind energy association.

David Yarnold, president & CEO of Audubon, called the guidelines
a good compromise that reflects years of consultation with
interested groups, including environmental groups.

"Conservationists can't have it both ways: We can't say we need
renewable energy and then say there's nowhere safe to put the wind
farms," Yarnold said. "By collaborating with conservationists
instead of slugging it out, the wind power industry gains vital
support to expand and create jobs, and wildlife gets the protection
crucial for survival. These federal guidelines are a game-changer
and big win for both wildlife and clean energy."